Wally Skalij/MCTFlorida's Erving Walker, who had a game-high 21 points, goes up for a shot against UCLA's Anthony Stover today.

TAMPA, Fla. — Erving Walker was the smallest player on the court, a 5-8 New Yorker bouncing off UCLA’s 305-pound center and leading second-seeded Florida’s 73-65 victory over the Bruins in the third round of the Southeast Region today.

A sliver of space served as an invitation for Walker. An imposing defender was merely an obstacle in his path. Walker doubled as the most fearless and most productive player on the court, scoring seven of his game-high 21 points in the final four minutes of the tight game.

“What you saw the last six, eight minutes of the game, I want that for 40 minutes when he’s out there,” coach Billy Donovan said. “But he loves to compete. He really does.”

The most impressive of the plays came as the clock dipped below four minutes. Walker drove to his left, although the lane was filled by UCLA center Joshua Smith, a 7-footer who weighs almost twice Walker’s 171 pounds. Walker ricocheted off Smith’s midsection, tossed the ball off the backboard and the jumper went in as he fell to the ground.

“I thought he fouled me,” Walker said. “I felt a lot of contact, so I just tried to get the ball up on the rim and I was expecting a call. I didn’t get it, and it luckily went in.”

UCLA coach Ben Howland called Walker a “fearless little guy,” which serves as an apt description. Donovan first received calls about Walker early in Walker’s career at Christ the King.

Donovan remembered Walker standing about 5-2 and not believing Walker had a chance at the college level. The more he watched, the more he witnessed the competitiveness displayed today. On Donovan’s recruiting trip during Walker’s senior year, Walker missed a train from Queens to his home in Brooklyn to play cards because a classmate talked trash.

“I think when you’re that small and you’re always having to fight for respect, I think he’s kind of adopted that kind that he knows he’s got to earn it,” Donovan said.

Walker led Florida during the season with 14.5 points per game, although he hasn’t catapulted into the national spotlight provided to his predecessors in Gainesville because Florida has not won an NCAA Tournament game since winning the 2007 national title.

Walker’s clutch performances now make the Gators a legitimate Final Four contender again.

Asked if he had other nicknames besides the one teammate Kenny Boynton gave him —“Big Shot Erv” — Walker smiled and said there were a couple others.

“But we can just go with what Kenny said,” he said. “I like that one.”